Positioning dolls and other types of play figures in an upright position for display, transport, and play may pose difficulties for various reasons. For example, dolls used for play, e.g. BARBIE® and BRATZ® dolls, are often not manufactured with legs capable of supporting the doll in a freestanding position. To display a doll in a freestanding upright position, manual support or positioning against a vertical surface may be necessary. A collector of dolls may, for example, have several dolls positioned against the back wall of a bookshelf. Nonetheless, display of dolls in this manner may not be aesthetically pleasing to many collectors. In addition, even freestanding dolls require a horizontal surface to stand upright, and sufficient horizontal display space may be unavailable for many users or collectors of dolls. Further problems may arise when transporting dolls from place to place. Traditionally, dolls may be handheld or placed in a bag for carrying, but transporting dolls in these ways may interfere with upright display of a doll or tie up a users hands.
Known display stands which place dolls in an upright position are often coupled to a doll's legs. Sometimes these stands have a base that partially fixes one or more legs of the doll for upright positioning. Although useful for their intended purpose, display stands of this type have several limitations. Like freestanding dolls, such stands require adequate horizontal display space for use. Many stands are made from metallic based materials, which are capable of scratching support surfaces. In addition, these types of display stands are often not suited for easy transport. Stands can add significant weight and bulk to bags used to carry dolls. Moreover, from a child's perspective, stands may also interfere with positioning of dolls and distract from the overall play experience.
Considering the limitations of display stands and other products proposed for positioning of dolls and play figures, there is a clear need for improved display article support systems, kits, devices and methods of mounting display articles. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.